An important hospital charity is calling for volunteers to ensure it can continue making a difference to the lives of patients and their families, just like it did for Mapleton’s Bill Gemmell.
Wishlist is currently calling for Sunshine Coast residents who can give their time as a shuttle bus driver or to help at its Wishlist Coffee House at Nambour.
Funds raised through Wishlist allowed Mr Gemmell to stay at the recently opened Wishlist Centre while fighting a volatile form of prostate cancer.
Mr Gemmell is quite simply resilience personified. In the past 10 years he has survived a heart attack and stroke.
Last year on a routine GP visit, Mr Gemmell’s doctor discovered that his prostate-specific antigen count was rising at an alarming rate.
“I got referred to a specialist at the hospital and the specialist informed me that I had an aggressive cancer in my prostate,” Mr Gemmell says.
“I’ve been progressively experiencing health problems in my senior years, and this was another one that I couldn’t ignore.”
The 75-year-old was advised to seek immediate treatment at Adem Crosby Centre, located within the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.
Living 50 kilometres away from hospital with his family sprawled across the country, Mr Gemmell was able to stay across the road at Wishlist Centre.
“It took me only six minutes to walk to my treatment every day and I couldn’t ask for anything more,” he says.
“Without the support of donors, I’d be driving 100 kilometres every day, and I couldn’t manage that for a second, so thank you, sincerely.”
Now Mr Gemmell’s daughter Liz is hoping to raise $500 for Wishlist and is pledging to run 50 kilometres. Search ‘Say thank you to Wishlist’ at gofundme.com.
Interested volunteers can visit wishlist.org.au or phone 5202 1777.
